Sunday, April 10, 2011

Domestic Engineer

Whenever I fill out paperwork at my kids' school, I always put "Domestic Engineer" in the job box. It makes me feel a little less loser-ish than putting "Homemaker". That sounds so lame, so 50's housewife with the pearls and the apron, and the perfectly fixed hair. (Actually, that is who I a really look like. In my head.)  But the truth is, I AM a homemaker, and I love it! I would not trade what I do for a million dollars. I struggled against it when I was younger, feeling like my husband would have less stress if I contributed the family budget. But he really wanted me to be home- as much as I wanted to be home, so (with my aunts guidance) I learned to embrace it, and be diligent about my work. To do it "on purpose".
There are a lot of things I love to do in my home, and a lot I don't love to do, but I do want my home to be warm and inviting. I don't ever want to be hesitant to invite someone over.  So I have embraced this "clean enough" theory.  I do what needs to be done, but I don't stress over it.  I don't want to live in a museum, but I don't want to live in chaos either.  I have friends who hit either end of the spectrum.  Super clean-freaks, and messy Marva's.  I am not judging.  I have found my version of peace.
I am a free spirited person. I don't like to be tied down to schedules and times, but I understand the necessity.  If I am cleaning my house, and you call me to go shopping, the toilets will get cleaned later.  I would always rather be with people. (Including my kids.) So I was thrilled when I came across this article on the Simple Mom site. It basically sums up my thoughts on the whole idea. Click over here to read the entire article. (Don't freak out, it's pretty short and sweet.)
I had some Anthro room inspiration, but Blogger ate it. I have a migraine, and I am off to bed!  Will post more tomorrow. Night!



2 comments:

  1. Hope your head feels better when you awaken tomorrow! I, too, have finally come to terms with both of those ideas. Life is lots less stressful now. :) It was nice when you popped over the other night to not have to worry before you got here. The house wasn't spotless, but it was "clean enough." I hope... Was it? Paranoid Paula is now stressing out... BTW, wanna go shopping?? Seriously. I'm looking for overalls for Daniel. Class project. Needs a costume. *sigh* :D

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  2. LOL--Love Susan's comment!
    Sorry about your headache last night--i'm sure our long phone convo about some heavy issues didn't help it. We did chat about Tarte lip stain though, so it wasn't all heavy:-)
    I'll read that article. I'm still pretty new to the whole homemaker/domestic engineer thing, and would love to get to a more on-purpose place.
    Thanks for sharing:-)

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